Automatic lock slider for slide fasteners



July 24, 1962 R. J. POUX 3,045,307

AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed March 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 d INVENTOR. Pom/v0 J. Poux 14 TTOR/VEY BY W July 24, 1962 R. J. POUX 3,045,307

AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed March 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. Pam/v0 f OUX United States Patent 3,045,307 AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Roland J. Pour, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 4, 1959, Ser. No.'797,160 3 Claims. (1. 24-20514) This invention relates to sliders for slide fasteners and, more particularly, to an improved automatic lock slider therefor.

Various types of automatic lock sliders have been heretofore suggested and used and while most of these were practical and satisfactory for mostpurposes, they were entirely unsatisfactory for other purposes especially if garments or articles with which the sliders were incorporated were subjected tofrequent laundering or pressing operations. Oftentimes the locking member of such sliders would become deformed or displaced from the slider body during pressing or laundering destroying the locking elfect of the locking member and defeating the purpose for which the locking member was intended, namely, to lock the slider against unintentional movement along the fastener.

Also, most types of automatic lock sliders heretofore suggested and used consisted of a multiplicity of parts which were expensive and difficult to fabricate and assemble, thereby resulting in a relatively expensive product. Further, in many constructions the locking member extended out a considerable distance beyond the wing of the slider body on which it was mounted thereby lending itself to destructive forces which, of course, was also objectionable.

Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved automatic lock slider for slide fasteners in which all the above mentioned disadvantageshave been eliminated and which is simple in its construction and, at the same time, efficient and effective in its use.

It is a mostimportant object of the invention to provide an improved automatic look slider wherein there is provided a new and novel manner of attaching the looking member to the slider body and means for supporting the same so as to eliminate any danger of damage or deformation thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved automatic lock slider wherein overall thickness of the slider is reduced to a minimum so thatthe locking member will not be projected an unreasonable distance beyond the wing of the slider body on which it is mounted.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification,-and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment and ,a modification thereof which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a slide fastener with which the improved slider in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,

FIG. 2 is anend view of the slider shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the slider shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the locking member,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the improved slider of my invention,

. FIG. 7 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the slider shown in FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8--8 of FIG. 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is 3,@45,37 Patented July 24, 1962 shown in FIG. 1, a conventional type slide fastener comprising a series of spaced-apart interlocking fastener elements 2 attached to opposed beaded edges of stringer tapes 3. There is mounted on the fastener elements, the slider, generally designated at 4, of the present invention, for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements in a manner 1 well known to those skilled in the art. Such a slider consists generally of a body member having spaced-apart upper and lower wings 5 and 6, respectively, connected at the upper end thereof by a neck portion 7 so as to provide substantially a Y-shaped channel 8- within the slider body.

According to the present invention, there is preferably struck up from the upper wing 5 of the slider body centrally thereof and at a point immediately below the neck portion 7, an upwardly protruding lip-like lug portion '9 so as to provide an opening 10 in the wing 5 and a transversely extending slot 12 between the lower edge 13 of the lip-like portion and the upper edge 14 of the opening 10 in the Wing.

There is provided an elongated arcuated yieldable, plate-like locking member 1 5 which is made preferably from relatively thin metallic stock. On the upper end of the locking member 15, there is arranged a hook-like portion 16 so as to provide a reversely bent portion 17 which in one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings, is preferably arcuated in a transverse direction and which is slightly wider than both the opening 10 in the Wing 5 and the lip-like portion 9.

The hook-like portion 16 is disposed around the liplike portion 9 with the reversely bent portion 17 extending into the slot 12 in under the lip-like portion 9 and bridging the opening 10 in the upper wing 5, as more clearly shown in FIG. 5. In such position the reversely bent portion 17 is clinched between the lower edge 13 of the lip-like portion 9 and the upper edge 14- of the opening 10 in the wing so as to hold securely the locking member 15 in position thereon.

On the opposite or free end of the locking member 15, there is arranged a locking projection 18 which extends normally into and through an aperture 19- in the wing 5 and into the slider channel 8 so as to engage the fastener elements 2 therein to prevent unintentional movement of the slider therealong in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

In the free end of the locking member 15 at a spaced distance above the locking projection 18, there is arranged a substantially. rectangular-shaped aperture 20 into which preferably a pair of opposed lip-like piojections 21 extend which are struck up from the body portion of the wing 5. These lip-like portions 21 substantially abut, as at 22, and co-operate with one another and the lower wall of the aperture 20 to limit the outward movement of the locking member.

There is provided a pull member 23 having a transversely extending trunnion portion 24 at one end thereof which is disposed in under the locking member 15 and between the same and the outer surface of the wing 5 for actuating the locking member and the slider in an obvious manner.

In FIGS. 6 through 8 of the drawings, there is shown another embodiment of the present invention. In this construction, there is provided on the reversely bent portion 25 of the hook-like portion 16 of the locking member 15, a pair of outwardly extending portions or tabs 26 with one arranged on each side thereof. As before, this reversely bent portion 25 extends into the slot 12 and is disposed in the opening 10in the wing 5 in under the liplike portion 9. In such position the tabs 26 will extend over the side edges of the opening so as to bridge the same.

It will be seen that the struck up lip-like portion 9 not only co-operates with the edge 14 of the opening 10 to tightly grip and securely hold the locking member 15in position on the slider wing but that the upper surface thereof, against which the locking member rests, supports the upper end of the locking member so as to prevent the locking member from becoming distorted, especially when the slider is subjected to a pressing operation. The opposite end of the locking member is free to move when the pull member 23 is manipulated, as shown in the broken lines of FIG. 3, but is limited in its outward movement by the struck up lip-like projections 21 which co-operate with the lower Wall of the opening adjacent the free end of the locking member.

As a result of my invent-ion, it will be seen that there is provided a new and novel automatic lock slider consisting of a minimum number of parts which can be easily and inexpensively fabricated and assembled, and a lock slider that is neat in appearance and rugged in its construction.

While I have shown and described an embodiment and a modification thereof which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that these embodiments are merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a lock slider for slide fasteners, a slider body comprising a pair of spaced-apart wing portions connected at one end by a neck portion so as to provide a channel therebetween, a yieldable arcuated plate-like locking .member mounted on one of said wing portions, said locking member made of a relatively thin resilient material, a lip-like lug portion struck up from the body of one of said wing portions so as to provide a transversely extending slotted opening in said wing portion in under the upper edge of said lug portion, said locking member being arranged in superimposed relation on said lug portion, a hook-like attaching portion on one end of said locking member which is disposed over and around said lug with the end thereof extending into the slotted opening thereunder between said lug portion and the opposed edge of the slotted opening, the lower inner edge of said lip-like lug portion in cooperation with the opposed upper edge of the slotted opening clampingly engaging said hook-like attaching portion against the said opposed upper edge so as to grip firmly and hold securely the locking member in position on said wing, a locking projection arranged on the opposite free end of said locking member which projects normally through an opening in said wing into said slider channel, and a pull member having a transversely extending trunnion portion on one end thereof which is disposed between the locking member and the adjacent wing portion forwardly of said lip-like portion.

2. In a lock slider for slide fasteners, the combination as defined in claim 1, including means for limiting the outward movement of the free end of said locking member.

3. In a lock slider for slide fasteners, the combination as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for limiting the outward movement of the free end of said locking member consists of a lip-like portion struck up from the body of said wing portion which extends into an aperture arranged in said locking member above said locking projection and which cooperates with the lower wall of said aperture to limit the outward movement of the free end of said locking member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,967,137 Sundback July 17, 1934 2,496,664 Heidegger Feb. 7, 1950 2,683,911 Backer July 20, 1954 2,913,795 Brown Nov. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,157,918 France Sept. 19, 1955 

